Consultations of APG Group on the UN-Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025

Remarks

by

Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

22 April 2021

Thank you Ambassador Kimura, Vice President of UN Women Executive Board Bureau,

• I would like to begin by thanking you and Madam Executive Director Phumzile for convening  this informal consultation, ahead of the annual session of the Executive Board.

• Allow me also to convey my appreciation for Madam Phumzile’s stewardship of UN Women.

• Thank you for the very informative briefing on the roadmap toward the next UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025, and for the consultative and inclusive approach taken in its development.

• The next  Strategic Plan will take us midway into the Decade of Action and will be fundamental in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the promise of leaving no one behind.  In this context, the development of an ambitious, result-oriented and forward-looking Strategic Plan is more important now than ever.

• I acknowledge UN Women’s important work in the past year in placing gender equality at the centre of the UN’s COVID-19 response.

• The first year of the ‘Decade of Action’ has thrown an unexpected challenge to the global community in achieving Agenda 2030. Impact of COVID-19 on women and girls has been severe.

• Keeping in mind the impact of the pandemic, we feel that the focus on delivery and implementation will be the key in the next few years to retrieve lost ground and put things back on track.  I am also happy to note that UN-Women’s COVID response framework focuses on social protection and economic stimulus packages for women.

• Let me also appreciate that UN-WOMEN has crossed half-a-billion mark in resource mobilisation. But the drop in core resources is a worrying sign.  With resources drying up or being diverted to more pressing immediate requirements, garnering resources for UN Women needs to be an equally important focus for this strategic plan period.

• We also take note of your efforts to align with the UN Development System reforms in support of gender equality and women empowerment.

• I would also like to underline that in tackling the consequences of the COVID pandemic, there needs to be a strong development-based approach in the Strategic Plan, and also alignment with the national priorities of the countries concerned.

• We, in India, have focused not just on women’s development but on women-led development through a range of initiatives undertaken by Prime Minister Modi.

• It would be good to hear from you, Madam Executive Director, a little more on what have been the key lessons learnt by UN Women, both at the programatic and operational level, from the COVID crisis over the past year, and how this impacts the formulation of the next Strategic Plan.

• I assure you, Madam Executive Director, of our full co-operation in the smooth implementation of UN-Women’s Strategic Plan and Agenda 2030.

Thank you.